Barrett Says She Lacked Advance Details of White House Event
Barrett Says She Lacked Advance Details of White House Event
(Bloomberg) -- Amy Coney Barrett said she didn’t have detailed advance knowledge of what Democrats say became a coronavirus “super-spreader” event when President Donald Trump announced her Supreme Court nomination at a crowded White House ceremony last month.
Answering written questions from senators on the committee that is poised to advance her nomination, Barrett refused to say whether she expressed reservations about the White House plans or considered refusing to participate.
“My decision to attend the announcement of my nomination was a personal one,” Barrett said. She added that she was “not aware of the particular details of the event in advance.”
Over the course of 184 pages released late Tuesday, Barrett sidestepped any questions that touched on Trump-related political controversies. She declined to say whether a president could unilaterally delay an election or has authority to deploy local law enforcement officials to monitor polling places.
As she did at her confirmation hearing last week, Barrett also passed on a chance to say a president should make a commitment to the peaceful transition of power.
She similarly ducked factual questions, refusing to discuss the causes of climate change or the pandemic. Asked whether masks inhibit the spread of the coronavirus, she said the question “is better directed to experts and policy makers.”
Trump announced Barrett’s nomination before a mostly maskless Rose Garden crowd on Sept. 26. At least 12 people who attended the event -- including Trump and two Republican senators -- later tested positive for Covid-19. Photos showed Barrett, maskless, with Trump and others in the Oval Office and at a VIP reception inside the White House.
The Judiciary Committee is set to vote on Thursday to advance Barrett’s nomination. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said last week he will bring the nomination to the full Senate on Friday, with an eye toward a vote next week. McConnell said he is confident Barrett has the backing of at least 51 Republicans.
That would complete the entire confirmation process in a little more than 30 days since Trump announced her as his choice to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the court.
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